Marxist Powerpoint 23292h

Marxist Criticism Kristil Abi Q. Andoy & Maria Gliceria Valdez

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND Karl Heinrich Marx • •

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(1818-1883) 19th century German Philosopher, economist and revolutionary socialist. He published (with Friedrich Engels) Manifest der Kommunistischen Partei (1848), commonly known as The Communist Manifesto, the most celebrated pamphlet in the history of the socialist movement. He was also the author of the movement’s most important book, Das Kapital. These writings and others by Marx and Engels form the basis of the body of thought and belief known as Marxism.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND Friedrich Engels (1820-1895)

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a German philosopher, social scientist, journalist, and businessman. He founded Marxist theory together with Karl Marx. In 1848, he co-authored The Communist Manifesto with Marx, and he also authored and co-authored (primarily with Marx) many other works. Later he ed Marx financially to do research and write Das Kapital. After Marx's death, Engels edited the second and third volumes. Additionally, Engels organized Marx's notes on the Theories of Surplus Value, which he later published as the "fourth volume" of Capital.

WHAT IS MARXISM? • Political, economic,and social theories of Karl Marx that argued that the means of production controls a society’s institutions and beliefs. • History is determined by economic conditions, progressing toward the eventual triumph of communism. • Class Struggle- driving force behind history that would eventually lead to a revolution in which workers would overturn capitalist, take control of economic production and abolish private property by turning it over to the government to be distributed fairly- abolishing class distinctions.

MARXISM CONCEPTS

MARXISM CONCEPTS Material circumstances- economic conditions underlying the society Historical situation- the ideological atmosphere the material circumstances generate Bourgeoisie- the one who control the means of production Proletariat- controlled by bourgeoisie whose labor produces their wealth

MARXISM CONCEPTS (CONTINUATION) Commodification- attitude of valuing things for their resale possibilities (exchange value) Base- the methods of production (eg. people, relationships between them, the roles that they play, and the materials and resources involved in producing the things needed by society)

MARXISM CONCEPTS (CONTINUATION) Superstructure- social, political, ideological systems and institutions the base generate False consciousness- a cultural conditioning that leads the people to accept a system that is unfavorable for them without protest or questioning

MARXIST LITERARY CRITICISM

WHAT IS IT ALL ABOUT? • Marxists generally view literature "not as works created in accordance with timeless artistic criteria, but as 'products' of the economic and ideological determinants specific to that era" (Abrams 149) • Marxist criticism is not merely a ‘sociology of literature’, concerned with how novels get published and whether they mention the working class. Its aim is to explain the literary work fully; and this means a sensitive attention to its forms, styles and meanings. But it also means grasping those forms, styles and meanings as the product of a particular history. (Eagleton, Terry)

MARXIST CRITICS Georg Lukacs (1885-1971) Hungarian critic responsible for what has become known as reflectionism or vulgar Marxism. Named for the assumption that a text will reflect the society that has produced it. Such examination lead to the understanding of that system and the author’s worldview.

MARXIST CRITICS Louis Althusser (1918-1990) French philosopher whose views were not entirely consonant with Lukacs. Althusser asserted literature and art can affect society, even lead to revolution. The working class is manipulated to accept the ideology of the dominant class known as interpellation. Althusser’s ideas are referred to as production theory.

BEST KNOWN MARXIST CRITICS 1. Fredric Jameson- talks about the political

unconscious, exploitation, and oppression buried in a work. 2. Terry Eagleton- British critic, examination of the interrelations between ideology and literary form. The constant in his criticism is that he sets himself against the privileged class.

Sources Abrams, M.H. “Marxist Criticism.” A Glossary of Literary , 7th ed. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1999. 147-153 Dobie, A. B. Theory into practice: An introduction to literary criticism, 4th ed. Cengage Learning, 2015.